AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – New mailboxes will soon be available for some of the city’s homeless population. I was able to speak to the organizers, who say this could change the lives of many in our area.
Gap Ministries unveiled 50 mailboxes Tuesday by the city’s Homeless Task Force.
“We want people to have the opportunity to legitimately hold themselves accountable and push themselves. Get themselves to where they want to go,” said Nomi Stanton, Director of Gap Ministries.
If you are homeless and do not have an address, you cannot get a state-issued ID. That makes it more difficult to apply for SSI and SSDI, register children for school, or receive test results from the doctor. The mailboxes will also help case managers working with the homeless or those in transition as a way to communicate with their clients.
“If you ask folks what is holding them back. Vital Documents is one of the things holding people back, and we can’t expect people to move forward when they remain stuck,” said Stanton.
Lisa Ann Wheeler, a representative for the Department of Public Health, says this is a game changer for her clients.
“It’s a huge deal today. We actually have a mailbox to send information. Is it test results? Is it the next appointment coming up? Things like that, and we don’t have that, we haven’t had that accessibility. So, this is life-changing for our clients,” said Lisa Ann Wheeler, Patient Navigator, Georgia Department of Public Health.
Commissioner Jordan Johnson was also at the unveiling to support and recognize what this will do for the homeless in our area.
“We are together in this effort to make sure that those who are experiencing poverty and experiencing just homelessness as we know it. Experience very briefly and very rarely. This is an effort that has been ongoing, and I am proud of the work that’s being done,” said Jordan Johnson, Commissioner of District 1.
Organizers at Gap Ministries say this is a steppingstone and hope to add more mailboxes.
“I’m looking at these mailboxes like they’re caterpillars, and our goal is. You have your mailbox, and this is going to help you grow your beautiful wings and fly,” said Stanton.
